Julia Weiser Elected 2009 Yale Field Hockey Captain

Dec 02, 2008

Dec. 2, 2008

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -
Junior back Julia Weiser (Houston, Texas) has been elected captain of the Yale field hockey team for the 2009 season. Weiser, the 39th captain in Yale history, was selected by a team vote at Ray Tompkins House Nov. 20. She will be formally introduced this Friday at the team's annual post-season banquet.

"Julia's unrelenting will and intense commitment provide the leadership necessary for this team to earn wins," said Yale head coach Pam Stuper. "With the support of her talented classmates, Julia will be the catalyst for leading the 2009 team to much anticipated success."

Weiser enjoyed her best season in 2008, running her streak of consecutive starts to 33 while finishing third on the team with a career-high four goals. Her nine points were also a career high. She is a three-year letter winner and has appeared in 44 games, including 37 starts, for her career.

Weiser has been a vocal leader for the Yale defense since first arriving in New Haven and has also emerged as a factor on offense. Her first career goal was the game-winner in the 2-1 win at Holy Cross in 2007 that gave Yale a six-game winning streak. Her contributions this year as one of the team's top strikers on attack penalty corners helped the Bulldogs to a team total of 36 goals, Yale's best total in five years. This was the fourth straight season the team has improved its goal total over the previous season. The Bulldogs also had 32 assists, the second-highest total in school history.

A biology major and a member of Calhoun College at Yale, Weiser is a two-time NFHCA National Academic Squad honoree. She intends to go to medical school and has spent time as a research assistant in the department of behavioral science at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston along with serving as a shadow in the departments of orthopedic surgery at St. Raphael's Hospital and Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven and the department of cardiology at Methodist Hospital in Houston.

Weiser is active in the community as well; she mentors children with special education needs at Dwight Elementary as part of a team-wide initiative. She also served as a Yale summer session counselor last year and took part in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. Weiser has also taken part in the Yale Athletics Department's Kiphuth Leadership Academy for three years.

"Julia Weiser is a remarkable Yale student-athlete in every sense of the word," said Stuper. "Her tremendous work ethic, determination and perseverance allow her to excel in the classroom and on the field. Athletics and academics, as well as life, are not easy roads traveled. Julia's ability to handle adversity and meet challenges with tremendous fortitude are truly commendable and the characteristics of a true leader."

"I feel so grateful and honored to have been elected captain of this team," said Weiser. "The greater privilege, though, is having the opportunity to lead with the five other members of my class. As seniors, I know that we will help our team accomplish the goals we've set together. My teammates are the most talented, passionate people I've met, and I am confident that through our hard work this spring and summer, we will have a winning season and success in the Ivy League next fall."

Before coming to Yale Weiser was all-conference and All-South Zone at St. John's School, where she earned the school's award for athletic excellence in field hockey while captaining both the field hockey and tennis teams. She was also an NFHCA National Academic Squad selection, a National Merit Scholar and a Morehead Scholar.